Andy, Will It Work? Chop Magic

The point of the Chop Magic, according to its advertising, is to help chop foods faster. More efficiently.

(WMC) - ANDY, WILL IT WORK?Chop Magic = DON'T BUY!

The point of the Chop Magic, according to its advertising, is to help chop foods faster. More efficiently.

With very few exceptions, there is nothing really faster nor efficient about the Chop Magic.

It requires a lot of prep work, even on the most basic fruits and vegetables.

"By the time I have done all this prep work to use this product, I would have been able to just break (the food) down myself," said Chef Barrett Round (Twitter: @ChefEZBlue), a Shelby County teacher who is also a former New Orleans and Memphis chef.

In spite of the quick-and-easy demonstrations in its advertising, Chop Magic cannot be used effectively without coring, trimming, peeling or prepping most foods. Round discovered it does chop onions and peeled carrots well. Its dicing blade did a fine job on garlic.

But it did not julienne peppers as advertised, even after stemming and coring them. It did not chop russet potatoes or sweet potatoes without a lot of pre-chopping and pressure.

Tomatoes? Even after cutting them in half as directed, they burst and splattered everywhere after a plunge through the Chop Magic.

"Dude, this thing's going to get me dirty," joked Round. "Overall, it's a lot more work than it was convenience."

Chop Magic is a DON'T BUY.

Allstar Products Group of New York distributes the Chop Magic. Through a spokesperson, it e-mailed this statement, attributed to the company:

"The Chop Magic™ went through extensive testing to ensure quality and durability. Once the product and the food is properly prepped, it can be used in three easy steps: snap on the stainless steel blade, push down and store inside. Allstar Products Group stands by its product, and any unsatisfied customers can contact customer service for a money back guarantee."